Sleeping Babes

Sandwiched in the rear seat of a taxi on my way to town, I found myself between two Ghanaian mothers, each carrying a sleeping baby tightly fastened to her back. The older of the two sat to my left - a Muslim woman whose baby girl's head was wrapped in a scarf much like her own; peeking out from the sides of the scarf were two small ears adorned with tiny sparkling earrings. The baby's face was tilted upward, mouth wide open. The younger woman to my right, whose hair was a mass of black ringlet curls, was stylishly dressed and chatting on a cell phone. Her baby boy's face was positioned downward, his mouth serenely closed. Both mothers judiciously leaned forward in order to allow enough space for their precious cargo while I sat back glancing from one sleeping child to the other.